After nearly two months of oil leaking out from the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, oil has washed ashore onto the beaches and fringing marshes of the north-central Gulf Coast, which are some of the most fertile coastal systems in the world. And the weekend's passing front and small groundswell has finally moved the mess into Florida's Panhandle.
Brand Peterman, a 20-plus-year veteran surfer from Pensacola, reports tar balls and a nauseating stench. "It smells like a billion broken crayons," he says. "I'm sick, other guys are sick, and we wonder whether it's from the oil or because the oil has weakened our immune systems."
Surfers are taking it personally.
Source: Read the Full Surfline Story
